1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical probe contacts for electrical wires and similar conductors. More particularly, the invention relates to a unique electrical probe contact having a stamped and formed sheet metal coupling portion that can receive a variety of screw machined or cold formed tips or probes.
2. Background Art
Electrical probe contacts are commonly one of two types. The first type, exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,169,154 to Plyler, are stamped and formed from a sheet metal blank. Such contacts have a sheet metal tip portion for insertion into various electrical equipment and a sheet metal rear portion having U-shaped crimp sections for grasping both the conductor and the insulation of an electrical wire. The second type of electrical probe contact are formed by a standard screw machine process. Such contacts often have a tip portion, comprising a banana plug tip wherein the supporting center pin of the tip is screw machined, and an integral screw machined rear portion to which an electrical conductor is soldered.
Contacts formed from sheet metal are easily and cheaply manufactured. It has heretofore not been possible, however, to stamp a sheet metal contact that is adaptable to receive a variety of probe tips. In particular, there are no sheet metal contacts that can readily receive a banana plug tip having a supporting center pin. Screw machined contacts can easily accommodate the desirable banana plug tip, but the screw machining process is significantly more involved and expensive than the stamping of contacts from sheet metal strips. Moreover, the usual practice of soldering wire to the screw machined contact significantly slows down the manufacturing process.
An electrical contact that included a stamped and formed sheet metal coupling portion having crimp sections, that could be crimped to an electrical wire instead of soldered and, most importantly, that could be used in conjunction with a variety of tips, including the desirable banana plug tip, would be a decided advantage.